Two penalties from David Bell plus goals from returning duo Ross Watson and Michael Frew secured a comfortable 4-1 triumph at Spalding United – a team they lost 3-2 against last summer.

Yet it was the arrival of wideman Spriggs for his fourth stint at The Walks, on a three-month loan deal from AFC Sudbury, which will have pleased Lynn’s boss the most.

Sudbury boss David Batch said of the player who is on contract at his club: “Steve will be the first to admit that others returned to pre-season at a higher level than him and he had a lot of work to catch up.

“We have plenty of quality in wide positions. So it makes sense to strengthen in other areas by allowing Steve to go to Lynn. We are still looking at a couple of players from professional clubs that are impressing in training and I want to ensure that we have a balanced squad with quality options in all positions.”

It was also a positive Saturday for Lynn’s second string as they continued their preparations for the Thurlow Nunn First Division by beating Whittlesey United 4-1.